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Scholarships

Scholarships

Education is the bedrock of social and economic development. A strong education system, relevant to the needs and culture of its students, not only prepares individuals for future employment, it empowers them to participate in the conversation about their future and guides development across the region. In many communities, however, lack of access constrains the development not only of individuals but also of the education system at large.

Recognizing this vital need, since 1999 Trace Foundation has offered scholarships to promising individuals committed to improving the Tibetan-medium education system, and the overall quality of life in Tibetan areas. Today, Trace Foundation continues to provide support to students seeking an education at all levels.

Trace Foundation offers both scholarships for studies in China and in overseas higher educational institutions. Our scholarships are for post-bachelor studies only, primarily for degree studies with some provisions for non-degree training. To apply for a scholarship, follow the instructions below.

Step 1 — Determine the Best Scholarship for You

DOMESTIC SCHOLARSHIPS

Domestic scholarships support individuals for doctoral and master’s degree studies at domestic institutions in China. We also support non-degree short-term training in fields of study deemed in high demand but are underrepresented within the context of the Tibetan higher education system. Non-degree training scholarships are usually one year in duration, and degree studies scholarships cover up to three years.

Currently we offer the following scholarships:

Visual Artist Scholarship (VAS)

What it is: This one-year scholarship provides support for advanced training in visual arts (e.g., film, video, photography, fine arts) at an appropriate institution in China, with the goal of advancing skills in the respective trade and aiding completion of an approved project as part of the supported training. We prefer projects that can be shared as open-source digital resources.

Who is eligible: Young artists with prior experience in the visual arts (and with a focus on Tibetan themes), who are looking to expand their skills and knowledge in a chosen professional field.

Graduate Thesis Scholarship (GTS)

What it is: This scholarship supports PhD and master’s students in thesis research and writing, in fields of study that are in high demand but are traditionally underrepresented within the Tibetan higher-education system. Theses with direct relevance to Trace Foundation projects will receive priority consideration.

Who is eligible: Current doctoral or master’s students in good standing who are about to start or have just started the thesis research and writing stage.

Research Fellowship for Professionals (RFP)

What it is: The fellowship aims to provide support to complete

quality papers for professional-grade conferences and journals.

research projects that provide key baseline data and analysis with practical and current significance among Tibetan communities.

Who is eligible: Professionals and in-service graduate students with track records in research and publications in relevant subjects.

Early Childhood Education Digital Resource Fellowship (ECEDRF)

What it is: Early childhood education is one of the most underdeveloped sectors in Tibetan communities—with a direct impact on the future of Tibetan children. Teaching materials are one of the main factors affecting the development of early childhood education.

The Early Childhood Education Digital Resource Fellowship supports educational professionals to create high-quality teaching materials that are grounded in up-to-date knowledge and combine pedagogy with digital media. The fellowship can be used toward directly funding compilation of materials, as well as training at an appropriate institution in China, with creating such materials as one of the main goals. Proposals that plan to utilize Trace Foundation’s digital library resources, among others, are preferred.

Training proposals should center on a particular project aimed at creating the aforementioned early childhood education digital resources. As a condition of the fellowship, grantees agree to complete such proposed projects within an agreed-upon period.

Who is eligible: Educational professionals with a background or focus on early childhood education and with skills in digital technology.

Early Childhood Education Professional Training Scholarship (ECEPTS)

What it is: A lack of qualified teachers and administrators is one of the key factors affecting the development of the early-childhood-education sector among Tibetan communities. This scholarship aims to support qualified professionals for further advanced training (including for advanced degrees) in early-childhood-education teaching methodology, school administration, or both.

Who is eligible: Professionals with at least one year of relevant full-time experience as teachers or administrators in the field of early-childhood education.

Alumni Grants Fellowship (AGF)

What it is: This project-based scholarship is awarded to former fellows of Trace Foundation’s international scholarship program. Proposed projects should be related to the training the alumni received as Trace fellows and be relevant to the current programmatic focuses of the foundation.

Who is eligible: Any international scholarship alumni who have satisfactorily completed their agreed-upon post-scholarship obligations.

Non-Tibetan-Medium Professional Training Scholarship (NTMPTS)

What it is: This scholarship provides support to select Tibetan professionals without written Tibetan proficiency, for further advanced training in science and technology and other in-demand professional fields.

Who is eligible: Early-to-mid-career Tibetan professionals without written Tibetan proficiency, in the fields of medicine, law, science and technology, engineering, and business administration.

Professional Training Scholarship for Rural Science Teachers (PTSRST)

What it is: This scholarship for advanced graduate degree studies supports teachers of natural sciences in rural primary and secondary schools.

Who is eligible: Prefecture- and county-level primary and secondary school science teachers. Candidates must possess:

a minimum of three years of relevant work experience.

written Tibetan proficiency equivalent to a Tibetan medium-senior-high-school graduate.

Professional Training Scholarship for Women in Law and Business Management (WLBM)

What it is: This professional training scholarship aims to encourage the growth of more female professionals in the fields of law and business management.

Who is eligible: Female professionals who are pursuing or plan to pursue graduate degrees in law- and business-related fields. Candidates should have at least primary-level Tibetan proficiency. Prior relevant work experience is a plus.

General Domestic Professional Training Scholarships (GDPTS)

What it is: This scholarship supports professionals for advanced studies.

Who is eligible: Professionals pursuing master’s or PhD degrees in fields that fall outside of those covered by the various focused professional training scholarships listed above. Applicants majoring in science and technology or other underrepresented subjects are given priority consideration. Candidates must possess:

a minimum of two years of relevant work experience.

written Tibetan proficiency equivalent to a Tibetan medium-senior-high-school graduate.

Graduate Scholarship for Women in Sciences (GSWS)

What it is: This scholarship was created to encourage more women to pursue graduate-degree training in science- and technology-related fields.

Who is eligible: Female college students who are pursuing master’s or PhD studies in natural sciences (excluding Traditional Tibetan Medicine).

To apply, candidates must have

completed undergraduate studies within the last two years.

written Tibetan proficiency equivalent to a Tibetan-medium-primary-school graduate.

General Domestic Graduate Scholarships (GDGS)

What it is: This scholarship supports students pursuing master’s or PhD studies in science and technology, environment, law, business, economics, psychology, and education, among others.

Who is eligible: Graduate students pursuing master’s or PhD degrees who are not covered by Graduate Scholarship for Women in Sciences.

To apply, candidates must have

completed undergraduate studies within the last two years.

written Tibetan proficiency equivalent to a Tibetan-medium-senior-school graduate.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Trace Foundation also offers a limited number of international scholarships to students and professionals for advanced studies at overseas higher educational institutions, for up to three years.

To qualify, a candidate

must have already completed his or her bachelor’s degree or master’s degree (in the case of PhD studies) and have a sufficient proficiency in written Tibetan, as well as in foreign languages as appropriate.

at the time of application, must have already been admitted to an appropriate, reputable academic program.

Currently we offer the following international professional training scholarships:

Trace–SIT Masters in TESOL (TSTESOL)

What it is: A joint initiative of Trace Foundation and the School for International Training, this scholarship provides support to qualified English teachers to complete a one-year master’s-degree program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at the Graduate Institute of the School for International Training. The scholarship aims to contribute to forming a core group of highly qualified English teaching professionals in primary and secondary schools at the county and prefecture levels—thus tackling the long-standing issue of poor English proficiency affecting students’ further advanced training.

Who is eligible: English teachers at county- and prefecture-level middle schools.

Candidates must have

at least two years of experience teaching English full-time.

taken TOEFL or similar tests with proficiency levels meeting the standards of the SIT Graduate Institute.

written Tibetan proficiency equivalent to that of a Tibetan-medium-primary-school graduate.

Trace–Brandeis Scholarship for Women in International Development (TBWID)

What it is: A joint initiative of Trace Foundation and the School of International Development (SID) at Brandeis University, this program supports early- and mid-career women in the field of development for graduate training in international development.

Who is eligible: Early-to-mid-career Tibetan female development professionals.

Candidates must have

at least one year of relevant work experience

taken TOEFL or similar tests showing English proficiency levels that meet the requirements of Brandeis SID.

written Tibetan proficiency equivalent to that of a senior-middle-school graduate.

Interested individuals must apply with Trace Foundation and Brandeis SID simultaneously. For more information, visit the Brandeis website.

What it is: This joint scholarship of Trace Foundation and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies is aimed to train interested candidates in applied skills such as conservation planning, science communications, program evaluation, entrepreneurship, adaptation, and more—all as they relate to issues affecting the Tibetan Plateau.

Who is eligible: The scholarship targets individuals who aspire to pursue careers addressing environmental and conservation issues in Tibetan areas. Those with relevant prior professional experience will receive preferential consideration.

To apply, candidates must

meet the University of Wisconsin's requirements for academic preparedness and English proficiency.

be fluent in spoken Tibetan.

Interested individuals must apply with Trace Foundation and the University of Wisconsin–Madison simultaneously. For more information, contact Nathan Schulfer at schulfer@wisc.edu and visit nelson.wisc.edu/conservation.

Trace–Bard Graduate Scholarship in Environmental Studies (TBGSES)

What it is: This joint scholarship of Trace Foundation and Bard College aims to support environmental-conservation professionals rooted in local Tibetan realities, for advanced training in current skills and knowledge in environmental sciences.

Who is eligible: The scholarship targets individuals who aspire to pursue careers addressing environmental challenges in Tibetan areas. Those with relevant prior professional experience will receive preferential consideration.

To apply, candidates must

meet Bard College’s requirements for academic preparedness and English proficiency.

Trace–Victoria Graduate Degree Studies in Education at Victoria University (TVUEDU)

What it is: This joint scholarship supports qualified teaching professionals for advanced studies in education at the College of Education, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, for a research degree at the Master of Education (MEd) or Doctoral level. This is a two-year program for the MEd and a three-year program for the PhD.

Who is eligible: Teaching professionals with relevant teaching experience who intend to enhance their professional skills and devote themselves to Tibetan education.

What it is: This scholarship provides advanced training to qualified in-service education professionals.

Who is eligible: Teaching professionals who fall outside the scope of support under TSTESOL outlined above. Candidates majoring in subjects related to science and technology, law, business management, and other underdeveloped fields will receive priority consideration.

To apply, applicants must have

at least three years of relevant teaching experience

taken the TOEFL or similar test with a foreign-language-proficiency level meeting the requirements of the proposed academic program

Tibetan proficiency equivalent to at least that of a Tibetan-medium-senior-high school graduate.

General International Professional Training Scholarship (GIPTS)

What it is: This scholarship is awarded to professionals other than those covered by ISISEP and TSTESOL as outlined above.

Who is eligible: Established professionals who desire further advanced training in their career fields. Candidates majoring in subjects related to science and technology, law, business management, and other underdeveloped fields will receive priority consideration.

To apply, applicants must have

at least three years of relevant work experience

taken the TOEFL or similar test with a foreign-language-proficiency level meeting the requirements of the proposed academic program

Tibetan proficiency equivalent to at least that of a Tibetan-medium-senior-high school graduate.

General International Graduate Scholarships (GIGS)

Who is eligible: Students who recently completed undergraduate studies. Those majoring in science and technology, environmental studies, sustainable development, and other under-represented fields will receive priority consideration.

To apply, applicants must have

completed undergraduate studies within the last two years

taken the TOEFL or similar test with a foreign-language-proficiency level meeting the requirements of the proposed academic program

Tibetan proficiency equivalent to at least that of a Tibetan-medium-senior-high school graduate.

Once you’ve decided on the scholarship that best meets your needs and qualifications, you will need to go to https://thetracefoundation.org to register your scholarship application user account. With this account, you will be able to manage your application process by filling out and submitting your scholarship application forms directly from your account.

If you cannot complete the form online, please contact the Scholarship Program at dsp@trace.org (domestic scholarships) or ifcmp@trace.org (international scholarships) or via phone at (028) 85182531 (China).

Domestic Graduate and Professional Training Scholarships September 30 is the final deadline for submitting all forms and supporting materials.

International Graduate and Professional Training Scholarships January 20 is the final deadline for submitting all forms and supporting materials. After January 20 you will not be able to update your application materials, whether online or offline.

What Happens Next?

Domestic Graduate and Professional Training Scholarships Applications for Trace Foundation’s postgraduate and professional training scholarships are reviewed once a year from August through November, with results typically announced in late December. The scholarship grants will be disbursed starting in the New Year.

International Graduate and Professional Training Scholarships Applications are reviewed once a year from January through March. Results are typically announced by the end of March.